James Myatt
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Sport: Modern Pentathlon Age: 17 Club: North Kent Modern Pentathlon Club Key achievements:
Sporting ambitions: He hopes to compete at the London 2012 Olympics. |
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James is the reigning National Champion and recently finished 31st in the Youth under-18 World Championships.
James lives in Rochester and took up modern pentathlon in 2001, after his pony club was forced to close down as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak. James was looking for another club and came across modern pentathlon.
James was selected for the Great Britain development squad in July 2005, following his victory at the National Pentathlon Champion in the Youth C category.
The following year James progressed to competing in the senior section National Championships. A top 10 spot eluded him but he did finish a credible 11th.
A month later in the National Pentathlon Championships, having moved up to become one of the youngest in the Youth B category, James was unable to hold on to his title, finishing second.
James then came second in the National Triathlon Championships.
James was determined to go one better at the next attempt and in 2007, he won the Youth B National Tetrathlon Championship in Bath, recording a personal best in each of the four events.
He was then crowned national pentathlon champion for Youth B at the National Championships in Somerset, after his success in all five events of running, shooting, fencing, horse riding and swimming.
James was part of the GB team that came third in the European Championships in Las Palmas, the first ever medal won by Great Britain in the competition. He finished 21st individually, competing in the swim, shoot and run.
James was then selected to compete for the GB team in the World Youth A Championships in Pretoria, despite usually competing in the youth B category for 15 and 16 year-olds. James spent three weeks in South Africa competing against 17 and 18 year-olds. He finished 31st overall and part of a British team that finished sixth.
James moved up to the Youth A category in 2008 and was selected to represented Great Britain at the Youth A Europeans in Sweden and in an age group higher at the Junior Worlds in Cairo. Injuries and illness kept James out of the teams for these events and out of the team for the Youth A World Championships in Bulgaria.
James is now looking forward to his second year in the Youth A age group.